Second Amendment

A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

Nevertheless, the government does infringed on this right in the interest of public safety. If a person is convicted on a felony or a misdemeanor of domestic assault, he or she cannot be in possession of a firearm.

The problem here is that any felony record grants the government infringement on that persona's second amendment RIGHT.

In modern democratic states, a privilege is conditional and granted only after birth. By contrast, a right is an inherent, irrevocable entitlement held by all citizens or all human beings from the moment of birth.

I believe that the infringement on a person's second amendment right due to a felony conviction should only be against violent felony convictions, not non-violent felony convictions. 

Taking away a person's RIGHT to bear arms takes away their right to effectively self-defense. Leaving the non-violent convicted felons with no arms to defend themselves or their families appears to be unfair and possibly illegal.

PLEASE SIGN THIS PETITION TO ALLOW NON-VIOLENT FELONS TO POSSESS A FIREARMS FOR SELF PROTECTION AND TO PROTECT THEIR FAMILIES.

Some quick facts: See https://www.ussc.gov/sites/default/files/pdf/research-and-publications/quick-facts/Quick_Facts_Felon_in_Possession_of_a_Firearm.pdf

Offender and Offense Characteristics

� In fiscal year 2012, 5,768 offenders were convicted of violating
18 U.S.C. § 922(g).

� Nearly all of these offenders were male (98.2%).

� About half of these offenders were Black (51.2%), followed by White (27.0%),
Hispanic (18.8%), and Other Races (2.9%).

� The average age of these offenders at sentencing was 33 years.

� The majority of these offenders were United States citizens (90.8%).

� One-quarter (25.2%) of offenders convicted under section 922(g) were assigned to the highest criminal history category (Category VI). The proportion of these offenders in other Criminal History Categories was as follows:

� 11.7% of these offenders were in Category I;

� 9.3% were in Category II;

� 21.1% were in Category III;

� 18.9% were in Category IV; and

� 13.8% were in Category V.

� Districts with the highest proportion of their overall caseload comprising
section 922(g) offenses were:

� Middle District of North Carolina (27.4% of the overall caseload);

� Northern District of Alabama (25.7%);

� Western District of Tennessee (25.5%);

� Western District of Missouri (24.8%); and

� Southern District of Georgia (23.3%).

Punishment

� Most offenders convicted under 18 U.S.C. § 922(g) were sentenced to
imprisonment (95.6%).

� Less than one-quarter (20.8%) of these offenders were convicted of one or more statutes carrying a mandatory minimum penalty:

� 10.3% were sentenced under the Armed Career Criminal Act (ACCA)
(18 U.S.C. § 924(e));

� another 5.0% were convicted of violating 18 U.S.C. § 924(c); and

� another 5.4% were convicted of another statute carrying a mandatory
minimum penalty (almost all of which were drug offenses).

� The average sentence imposed on section 922(g) offenders varied widely by
whether a mandatory minimum penalty applied in the case.

PLEASE SIGN THIS PETITION TO ALLOW NON-VIOLENT FELONS TO POSSESS A FIREARMS FOR SELF PROTECTION AND TO PROTECT THEIR FAMILIES.